MAGISTRATE’S COURT.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1188, 7 December 1894, Page 30

MAGISTRATE’S COURT.

At the Magistrate’s Court on the 21st, before Messrs A. Collins, P. Coffey and E. Carrigan, justices, William LaAvrence and Donald Campbell were fined 10s each for drunkenness, with the alternative of 48 hours in gaol. A respectable looking youngman named Arthur Poulson, convicted of having been drunk and disorderly, was ordered to pay a fine of .£l, or to go to prison for three days. A charge of assault preferred by Eliza Clark against John Clark was dismissed. A well-knoAvn public character named Bridget Lane, who has figured at the Police Court on very many occasions, was locked up at an early hour on Friday morning on a charge of drunkenness and lodged in the Manners street Police Station. About 5 o’clock she left in charge of a constable for the Central Police Station, Lambton quay, and on her way thither, while going across the .Te Aro reclamation;

she suddenly bolted, and going: to the side of the harbour threw herself into the water. The constable at once went in after her, and succeeded in effecting her rescue, but in consequence she was unable to appear at the Magistrate’s Court in the morning. She was, however, placed in a cell and provided with warm blankets. The reason the unfortunate woman gave for committing the act is that she is tired of the life she is leading. Messrs F. H. Fraser and W. G. Foster, Justices, occupied the. Bench at the Magistrate’s Court on Saturday. One first offending drunkard was punished, and Bridget Lane, for being illegally on premises, was sentenced to six months’ hard labour. Charles Jackson was charged on remand with forging a cheque for £29 14s on April 19th last. Inspector Pender stated that the person to whom the cheque was uttered had lefo the place, and the Bench accordingly discharged the accused. John Doyle and Thomas Shaffrey, charged with robbery, were remanded till Tuesday. Mr "Wilford appeared for Doyle. James London and Harry Johnston, charged with travelling from Lyttelton to Wellington by the s.s. Manapouri without having paid their fares, were fined 40s each, or seven days’ imprisonment in default. At the Magistrate’s Court on Monday, before Mr Hutchison, S.M., one first offending drunkard was fined ss, and Margaret Bryant and Philip Sharkey, previously before the Court,,-.were fined 10s each, with the alternative of 48 hours in. gaol. William John Hamilton, who was brought down from Masterton, Avas charged with the theft of a swag, the property of George Laing, at Wellington, on

November 25 th. lie .was sentenced to two months’ hard labour. John Bright was charged with stealing a fowl, the property of Lily Thompson, .Toly street, on the Ist inst. llis Worship said the case was a trivial one, and told defendant he would dismiss the case on his paying Mrs Thompson 2s, the value of the fowl. John Black, charged with attempted to commit suicide by taking a dose of phosphorous, was discharged on his promising to be of good behaviour in the future. Messrs S. Brown, M. P. Cameron and F. H. Pickering, Justices, sat in the Magistrate’s room on Tuesday to decide a case in which a young man named Charles McLoughlin had pleaded guilty of stealing certain sums of money .belonging to the Wellington Gras Company. Mr P. S. Garvey, Probation Officer, said he did not think this was a case for probation, but he would like to see McLoughlin dealt with by some other method than imprisonment. The Bench, after consideration, convicted the accused, and ordered him to come up for sentence when called upon. He must, however, pay the money, <£ll 16s 6d, within three months, and the costs. They hoped this would be a warning to the accused, and that he would niend his ways in. the future. Mr Wilford appeared for the accused. f

At the Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, before Mr Hutchison, S.M., a first offening drunkard was,,’bunishe d in the usual manner. GeorgeyOiF Fountain, charged with obtaining <£s by false pretences from Patrick Dwyer, licensee of the Victoria Hotel, was remanded for a week in order that he might be dealt with by Mr Martin, S.M. The' charge against John Mill of

being about to leave Wellington without making provision for his unborn child was withdrawn, on the application of Dr Findlay. A case important to dealers was heard before Mr Hutchison, S.M., on Tuesday, Avhen Fanny Whittaker (for whom Mr Young,appeared) Avas charged with having carried on the business of a. pawnbroker without license on the 23rd of August last. A Avoman named Julia Finnigan stated that on the day in question she took a counterpane to defendant’s second-hand shop in Manners street, and asked for a loan of 7s 6d upon it. She obtained the money, and was told that she would only have to pay a trifle for the accommodation. About six Aveeks afterwards she Avent to get back the article, and Avas then informed that it had been sold for 12s to another person, who had paid a. deposit of • ss, but that she (Finnigan) could have it for 12s. Witness only had 10s, and offered that in payment, but Avas refused. Defendant gave evidence on her own behalf, and denied that she lent money on counterpane, She bought it for cash, but was willing to sell it back to Finnigan for 12s to oblige her, The case Was dismissed. A case was partly heard in the Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday in which Arthur Poison, Michael Knight, Charles Westbrooke and David Shannon were charged on remand Avith being found on the night of the 27th November in the Foresters’ Arms Hotel with intent to commit a crime. The evidence for the prosecution-was that on the night in question Mrs McCleland, the wife of the licensee, heard a noise lipstairs, and in company with the barmaid, went to see what was the matter. On reaching the landing Knight and Westbrooke rushed out of the barmaid’s bedroom, and tried to blow out th e light which Mrs McCleland was carrying. Poison and Shannon, who had been in the company of the other men, and had stood at the bottom of the stairs, then left the house. Mr Wilford, who appeared for the accused, crossexamined the witnesses with a view to shoAv that the men were drunk, and that they went into the bedroom not knowing what they were doing. The further hearing of the case was adjourned until next day. ! « : '